Firefighter Record
Firefighter Details
| Name | Carl Altgilbers |
| Agency | Quincy Fire Department |
| Rank | Driver |
| Type of Firefighter | Career |
| Age Range | 51 to 55 |
| Sex | Male |
| Date of Birth | 9/29/1887 |
| Date of Death | 10/17/1939 |
| Cause of Death | Stress/Overexertion |
| Nature of Death | Heart attack |
| Attribute of Death | [not applicable] |
| Type of Duty | Post-incident |
Incident Summary
Carl Altgilbers was born September 29, 1887 and lived in Quincy, Illinois, for his entire life. Altgilbers worked for the Otis Elevator Company prior to joining the Quincy Fire Department. When he became a firefighter, he was assigned badge #30.
On Tuesday, October 17, 1939, at 2:20 AM, an alarm came in for a garage fire on Jersey Street in Quincy. Three garages, located at 1008, 1010 and 1012 Jersey were burned, as were two automobiles and two railroad cars near the Swift and Company Storage Plant on 10th Street.
Firefighter Altgilbers was the driver of Pumper #1 out of Central Station at 9th and Vermont. After the fire on Jersey had been extinguished, he drove his pumper back to the fire station and placed clean fire hose on his truck. He then helped the other firefighters change the hose on their pumpers when they returned to the station. When this chore was completed, Altgilbers complained of feeling ill. He was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital where it was determined that he’d had a heart attack. He died less than two hours later. Altgilbers was an 18-year veteran of the fire department. He was 52 years old and was survived by his wife Anna and daughter Joan.
Summary by James Pioch, Quincy Fire Department.
Citations:
"156 Years of Smoke, Sweat, and Courage: The History of the Quincy Fire Department" by Marcia Kuhlman Cray
Firefighter and Incident Images
